Franks: Democrats Need to Put Troops' Well-Being Above Love of Spending

Franks: Democrats Need to Put Troops' Well-Being Above Love of Spending

December 10, 2009 - Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) today signed onto a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi protesting House Democrats' plans to put numerous pork projects in the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill. Congressman Franks gave the following statement:

"Reports have surfaced indicating House Democrats intend to use the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill as cover to sneak through billions of dollars in funding for pet programs unrelated to providing necessary resources for our men and women in uniform, which is the actual designed purpose of the appropriations legislation.

"Playing political games with a bill intended to provide vital funding to our troops is never acceptable, but it is a particularly egregious offense when we are in the middle of two wars overseas. If Democrats insist on continuing their brand of reckless pork-barrel spending, I'd ask them, at the very least, to consider leaving our military out of it."

Full text of the letter, which was sent today to Speaker Pelosi, is included below.

Dear Madam Speaker,

We write today to express our strong opposition to reports that the Democrat Majority is considering attaching unrelated and extremely controversial proposals, such as an increase in the public debt limit, to the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations bill. We object to maneuvers to use our troops as leverage to enact proposals that the Majority either cannot pass on their own or for which they wish to avoid directly voting on and we will oppose a Defense Appropriations package that includes such provisions.

Unfortunately, there seems to be pattern developing this year of using legislation that supports our men and women in uniform to pass other contentious proposals that are extraneous to our troops. We should supply those who risk their lives for our country with the resources they need without conditions and without using them to accomplish other legislative goals. House Republicans stand ready to help the Majority enact a defense bill that meets the needs of our troops, but we will not assist your effort to use the troops to enact an increase in our national debt limit so as to finance the irresponsible spending policies of your party.

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Congressman Franks is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, Military Readiness Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary, Constitution Subcommittee, and is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.